Pakistan cricket selectors announced a 15-player squad on Tuesday for the first Test against England, with right-arm fast bowler Aamir Jamal rejoining the side.

Jamal last played in the longest format of the game in a series against Australia where he picked 18 wickets in three matches.

He was crowned player of the match in the last match for his gritty batting, making 82 off 97, and taking 6/69.

“The selected players have been withdrawn from the Champions One-Day Cup playoffs to allow them some rest ahead of the series,” said a Pakistan Cricket Board press release on Tuesday.

The first Test match against England is set to take place in Multan from 7-11 October. The squad would assemble in Multan on Monday, 30 September, with the training camp commencing on 1 October.

Pakistan would be under pressure after facing a humiliating series loss against Bangladesh. It was the visitors first ever Test victory against the hosts.

It was the 10th winless home Test in a row for the cricket-crazy country and came after humiliating early exits from both the 50-over and T20 World Cups in the past year.

Squad

Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Left-arm spinner Noman Ali, who has taken 47 wickets in 15 Tests, has replaced fast bowler Khurram Shahzad, who is injured.

Kamran Ghulam and Mohammad Ali, who were part of the squad for the Bangladesh Tests, were dropped due to the selection policy’s “emphasis on consistency and continuity”. They believed that 15 players were “sufficient” for a Test.

The board advised the two players to continue representing their teams in the Champions One-Day Cup and the President’s Cup, starting on 3 October.

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“With a busy domestic and international cricket schedule, it makes sense to give our players some much-needed rest ahead of the Test series against England,” Pakistan men’s red-ball head coach, Jason Gillespie said.

“We are very much looking forward to the series against England here in Pakistan and cannot wait for it to begin. We are excited about playing in front of our wonderful supporters.”